ship excursion or DIY for first time cruisers?

[cruisin'77]

Hi

We'll be in Belize next month with RCI, LOS

Any opinions on if I should just book through the ship as we are first time cruisers and won't have been through the port experience before?

I was otherwise looking to do Mayan tour; any suggestions on the best one much appreciated. We are a party of 7 (just adults)

Thanks in advance

Cruisin'77 xxx

[alicam]

Hi

We'll be in Belize next month with RCI' date=' LOS

Any opinions on if I should just book through the ship as we are first time cruisers and won't have been through the port experience before?

I was otherwise looking to do Mayan tour; any suggestions on the best one much appreciated. We are a party of 7 (just adults)

Thanks in advance

Cruisin'77 xxx[/quote']

 

Hi...hope you enjoy your Liberty cruise and your stop in Belize...we did Liberty last March and went to Belize as well ( we did Lamanai ). As much as I like booking my own excursions, I hesitate to do so in Belize due to the tendering process (not docked)...if you are on a ship sponsored excursion, you will get back to the ship...however, if you are doing it on your own, and something happens, you may "miss the boat" so to speak back to the ship and have to figure out something else that you might rather not do....so...in my honest opinion, I would book with Royal Caribbean...others on here may say otherwise and that is their opinion, but myself.... I'd rather not risk it

[Will in sunny FL]

In Belize we like to snorkel with a non ships tour & we use Coral Breeze Tours & there has never been a problem in returning on time.

And, we always have had a super time.

Look up their site for the snorkeling & other info.

These guys make their living by getting people back to the ship on time.

You will also avoid the packed boats & busses with a non ships tour.

Enjoy Belize.

Bill in FL

[vermonter16]

LOL - this is funny because on our first cruise in 2003 DH and I did our own excursion - literally. We tendered to the port - got a cab (driver's name was Sonny) to the airport and flew to San Pedro and thankfully remembered the difference between island and ship time. Had a great day on San Pedro and Sonny was waiting for us when we got back to the airport and off to the ship we went. We never worried about missing it :) but we are very adventurous too!

 

Now, if you did a private tour with someone - do it! Don't feel shackled to doing ship's tours all the time. Sometimes it makes sense to do a ship tour. Figure out what you really want to do and use the ship tours as a guide and then browse around this forum, ask questions, and see what others have experienced.

[cruisin'77]

Thanks for your views and experiences. We are a party of 7: 3 young uns (30's) and parents (60's) so what we want to do may differ. As in I can't see my Mum on the cave tubing! I think I'll book with reputable companies with the best reviews. I've read some reports that it takes awhile to get to shore in Belize. Is that the case?

Thanks guys

x:D

[vermonter16]

It's a fun ride though I forget how long it takes. The companies are well aware of the ships departure times and the tenders. You sound like you've got a good head on your shoulders! I think looking into the companies and seeing what you'll like to do is a great idea! Maybe you guys can split up!

[CACkles]

I'd say the tender ride was at least 30 minutes, maybe 45. And I think you are on the right track booking with a company that gets good reviews on this site. A lot of people talk about being afraid of missing the ship, but research these boards to find out how often it has actually happened. Don't get me wrong, people sometimes miss the ship, but it's almost never because of an independent tour company. It's far more likely to be people shopping or drinking and losing track of time. The closest I came was when I rented a car in Puerto Vallarta and when trying to get the car returned I turned the wrong way down a one way street (deserted) and got pulled over by the Mexican police. That had my heart beating. But we still made last tender.

 

I would expect that if any company didn't get their tour back to the ship in time, it would be all over these boards and that company would quickly stop getting any business. Considering that the ship's tours are both more crowded and more expensive, I highly recommend going with a reputable company.